Marital Support
by Yuki Ryu
Summary: For the good of the Ylisse army's morale, the impending marriage of General Chrom and Chief Tactician Rei needed to be kept secret until the day the war finally ends. Too bad such a task is far easier said than done.
1. Rank 1

It was late in the evening when Lissa suddenly burst into the chief tactician's personal tent unannounced. "Ah hah! I found out your secret!"

Rei jerked back from the book she was reading with a yelp, nearly falling out of her chair in the process, and turned to regard the princess with wide eyes, her face scarcely visible under her hood. "Secret? What secret?"

Lissa moved to Rei's side, practically looming over the tactician, a victorious, almost smug smile on her face. "Don't play dumb. I already got Chrom to confess everything."

Rei was silent as she considered what Lissa was talking about and could only think of one possibility. Hoping she was mistaken, she lowered her hood so that she could face the princess properly. "Really," she said, the words coming out like a sigh. "And just what was it you got Chrom to 'confess?'"

Lissa let out a noise of frustration. "That the two of you are getting married of course!"

A healthy shade of pink flooded Rei's cheeks, and she was on her feet in an instant. "K-keep your voice down!" she said, her tone low but anxious. "There's a reason why we haven't made a public announcement yet."

Lissa's irritation slowly faded as triumph crept in to replace it. "Yeah, yeah, Chrom told me already and made me swear to keep it a secret, but I can't believe you two thought you could get away with not telling me something like this!"

Rei sighed and shook her head. "I can't believe Chrom actually _told_ you after we agreed not to say anything about it."

Lissa laughed and winked as she wagged a finger. "You didn't really think Chrom could keep a secret from his baby sister, did you? I _always_ know whenever Chrom is keeping something from me, and I _always_ manage to weasel it out of him sooner or later."

Rei folded her arms against her chest. "I suppose that's why you've been practically his shadow for the past two weeks."

"Exactly!" Lissa said. "Chrom was extra, extra, _extra_ stubborn this time about keeping this from me, I'll give him that, but he should've remembered that I always make him crack in the end."

A heavy breath escaped Rei as she skewed her eyes shut. "And the thought of respecting your brother's privacy never crossed your mind?"

Lissa covered her mouth to stifle a giggle. "Nope! And if I knew the secret involved you sooner, I would've gone after you too. There's plenty of frogs in the lake nearby, you know."

Rei shuddered at the memory of a frog squirming around inside her clothes. "I suppose I should be grateful you didn't," she muttered, making a note to ask Chrom about what sort of interrogation techniques Lissa put him through.

Lissa leaned forward. "So, did Chrom give it to you yet?"

Rei blinked at the sudden closeness and leaned back on instinct. "Give what?"

Lissa seized Rei's left hand and held it up for emphasis. "Your engagement ring, of course! I should've known something was up when you started wearing different gloves."

Rei let out a sigh of resignation as she pulled her hand from Lissa's grip so that she could slip the glove off. "I _knew_ it was a bad idea to start wearing a ring."

The instant the glove was gone, Lissa eagerly took Rei's hand again only to frown at what she saw. "What? This isn't Chrom's signet ring."

Rei shifted awkwardly in place as Lissa examined the ring from all angles. "It would've been too difficult to explain why I was wearing Chrom's ring without giving away our secret if someone happened to catch me without my gloves. Honestly, I think wearing anything so blatantly symbolic is a huge risk if anyone recognizes it, but Chrom was so disappointed that I wouldn't accept his signet ring yet that I just had to come up with a compromise."

Lissa's cheeks puffed out in a pout as she finally dropped Rei's hand. "He could've at least gotten you a nicer ring! There's not even any jewels on this one! It's so plain and boring, and it doesn't even look like it's real gold either!"

In spite of the situation, Rei could not hold back the urge to giggle at Lissa's disapproving look. As her gaze settled on the plain band wrapped around her finger, it conjured up the sweet memory of when she and Chrom went shopping for a ring in secret, bringing a warm smile to her face. "Actually, I was the one that picked this ring out. Chrom was ready to spend all of his personal savings on something ridiculously extravagant, but I talked him out of it. Besides, a diamond would just wear a hole through my glove during battle."

Lissa let out a displeased sound. "Geez! You're always so stingy, Rei! This is your _engagement ring_ we're talking about! It's a big deal! If there's any time a girl should spoil herself, it's when she's about to become a bride!"

Rei chuckled and flashed Lissa a wry smile. "Not if the bride-to-be is trying to keep her engagement a secret." She slipped her glove back on. "Chrom and I will have plenty of time to spoil ourselves once the war is over and Ylisse is in more stable condition."

Lissa practically groaned as she skewed her eyes shut. "Don't tell me you haven't even done any planning for your wedding yet."

"I wouldn't know where to start," Rei said after a moment. She had nearly mentioned that her amnesia left many holes in her knowledge of the world, including things like wedding traditions – if she ever knew about such things to begin with – but managed to censor herself at the last moment. Her amnesia was a subject that almost always made everyone involved extremely uncomfortable, which urged her to do her best to avoid the issue whenever possible "I really need to research what goes into preparing for a wedding, but I can't exactly get any books on the topic without bringing up suspicion. Besides, there are more important things we need to focus on right now."

"I know, I know," Lissa said. "But that doesn't mean you shouldn't take time out to enjoy being engaged! If I had a fiancé, I'd make sure to spend time with him every day and talk about our future together."

Rei brushed back a few stray hairs from her face. "Chrom and I do that too."

Lissa's expression deadpanned. "I'm not talking about brainstorming war strategies."

A faint trace of pink appeared on Rei's cheeks as she gave Lissa an enigmatic smile. "Neither am I."

Lissa outright gawked at Rei. "What? Seriously? You two have already…?" She started to turn a faint shade of green as she cringed back. "Oh _gross_! I didn't need to think about my brother doing things like _that!_"

Pale pink turned to flaming red as Rei's amusement evaporated. "J-just what are you thinking about?"

Lissa made gagging noises as she shook her hands about, as though trying to ward off the revolting notion. "Gross, gross, gross! Look, I'm really happy for you a Chrom, but do me a favor and don't tell me when you two are… when you…" She shuddered and held herself. "Ugh! I can't even _say_ it without getting sick!"

"Th-that's not what I was talking about at all!" Rei all but shouted, her blush spreading down to her neck. "Chrom and I just spend time enjoying each other's company. That's all there is to it! We have no intention of doing anything inappropriate before our wedding day!"

A new voice slithered into the tent, low and full of malice. "Wedding?"

Rei and Lissa immediately turned towards the tent flap to see it parted just enough to show a narrowed eye shadowed by dark bangs peering in at them.

"So…," Tharja muttered, her tone quiet but dangerous. "Chrom proposed to Rei, did he?" Her voice dropped until it almost went unheard by the two women in the tent. "How dare he…"

Rei felt her insides clench. Knowing she had to perform damage control quickly, she hurried to the tent entrance. "W-wait just a second Tha–"

Unfortunately, by the time Rei threw open the flap, Tharja was gone. The tactician hastily scanned the area, but the heavy shadows of the late hour had completely swallowed up the dark mage, leaving no trace behind.

Rei groaned and rubbed at her forehead where she felt a tension headache starting to form. "This isn't going to end well," she muttered.

"Oops," Lissa said. "Looks like you and Chrom aren't going to keep your engagement a secret for very long."

Rei exhaled a frustrated breath as she gave Lissa a reproachful scowl, which the princess answered with an innocent smile.


	2. Rank 2

Practically every muscle in Rei's body was tense as she caught up to the youngest princess of Ylisse outside the supply tents. "Lissa, we need to talk. In private."

Lissa could swear that her heart stopped for just a moment when she heard the edge in the chief tactician's voice. Turning back, she tried to look innocent and give Rei a charming smile, but all she could see was doom wearing a hooded cloak barreling down on her. "O-oh, hi Rei!" she said, failing to keep her voice convincingly cheerful. "Y-you want to talk? Right now?" Her eyes darted about in search of a quick escape route as Rei drew ever closer. "Gosh, I don't think I have the time right now. You see, I promised Donny I'd show him some new constellations, so if you'll excuse me–"

Without breaking her stride, Rei grabbed Lissa's collar just as the princess tried to dart off between a couple stacks of crates, jarring Lissa to a halt with a yelp. "Sunset isn't for another six hours."

"H-hey!" Lissa cried out as Rei dragged her backwards. "Watch it! You're going to stretch out my dress if you keep yanking on it like that!" She dug her heels into the ground, but it was no use – the chief tactician had the advantage of both strength and surprise on her. All she could do was squirm so that she would not trip or choke as Rei kidnapped her and whisked her off to an empty tent filled with charts and maps used for mission briefings. "Geez… what's got your smallclothes in a twist today?"

Rei released Lissa only after she hung the privacy sign outside and sealed the tent shut to prevent escape or interruption. Once satisfied with her preparations, she rounded on the other girl, her expression especially dark under the shadow of her hood. "I just had a _very_ 'interesting' conversation with someone. About a certain secret a certain _princess_ promised not to let anyone know about."

Lissa pretended to have trouble fixing her collar so that she would have an excuse not to look at Rei. "Umm…"

Rei folded her arms in front of her. "Would you care to guess _who_ it was with?"

Lissa squirmed uncomfortably under the chief tactician's glare, which was strangely effective despite the fact that she could not see most of Rei's face while veiled by a hood, or perhaps that was entirely _why_ it felt more intimidating. "Er…"

"Here's a hint," Rei said after almost half a minute of waiting for an answer. "It wasn't Chrom."

Lissa scrunched back a bit before she remembered that she was just making things worse for herself by acting like a child that got caught snatching sweets. "H-hey! How was I supposed to know Tharja was listening? I know she's got this creepy weird stalker girl-crush on you, but I didn't think she'd be _spying_ on you!"

"It wasn't Tharja," Rei said.

Lissa tried giving the tactician an innocent smile, batting her eyelashes a bit for good measure as she added honey to her voice. "O-oh really?"

"And it wasn't _Tharja_ who told them about it," Rei said with an extra layer of frost coating her words.

Lissa failed to suppress a wince. "Urk!"

"I can't believe you'd break your promise like that!" Rei said, just short of shouting now. "I thought you knew how important it is that no one find out about this, that it could have serious repercussions for everyone, especially Chrom! Just how many people have you told about this?"

"I-it's not my fault!" Lissa said. "You know how Chrom can never keep a secret from me? Well, I'm sort of the same way with Maribelle. She just _knows_ whenever I've got a big juicy secret just dying to get out, and she knows all my weak spots to pry it out of me."

Rei's voice lowered in volume, but the anger had yet to diminish. "It didn't sound like she had to try very hard to me."

"I know, I know, and I'm really, _really_ sorry!" Lissa clasped her hands together in front of her, practically bowing to Rei. "I didn't mean to break my promise." She peeked up at the tactician, hoping to catch Rei's eye so that she could prove her sincerity in her expression. "Honest! It just slipped out on accident!"

Long seconds ticked by as Rei looked down at Lissa, her face still darkened by the shadow of her hood and her agitation. However, she could already feel anger starting to loosen its hold just a little in the face of the blonde's apology. She let out a frustrated breath as she put her hands to her sides. "And did you have any 'accidents' with anyone else?"

Lissa fidgeted, her eyes darting askance. "Um… well… maybe?"

Rei tensed so hard her entire body jerked. "_Maybe?_!"

The shout sent Lissa back a step, and she held up her hands as though to ward off the tactician's ire. Though she was not afraid that Rei would actually _hurt_ her, she could not help but feel intimidated all the same. "I swear, I didn't actually _say_ you and Chrom were getting married or anything to anyone else, but, uh, I kinda… sorta… maybe… _implied_ it when I told Frederick that he was going to have to start getting used to the idea of _you_ taking care of Chrom instead of him all the time… But in my defense, I made it sound like a joke!" She paused for a moment, frowning, before puffing out her cheeks a little in annoyance. "…And he was being _really_ overbearing at the time."

Rei closed her eyes as a groan slipped from her lips. "Meaning I'll probably be having an 'interesting' conversation with Frederick next." She began to consider strategies for damage control, but stopped herself to return her focus to Lissa. "Anyone else?"

Lissa coiled a strand of hair around her finger she directed her attention to the floor. "Weeeell…"

"Lissa…"

"N-now hold on!" Lissa said loudly as she held her hands up again. "Before you start thinking I'm just some terrible gossip, I didn't actually _tell_ Sumia that you and Chrom are getting married. I didn't even mention your name at all! I just told her that maybe she should spend her time baking sweets for some other guy instead."

The expression Rei made at the news would have made Lissa laugh under different circumstances, and if the princess could see past her hood to see it. "Sumia too_?_!"

Lissa straightened up a bit. "Hey! If you saw how pathetic she looked hunched over that cookbook all covered in flour and talking to herself about whether or not Chrom would like some new recipe she spent all day perfecting, you'd feel sorry for her too. Letting her think she still has a chance with my brother is pretty cruel, you know?"

Rei let the princess' words sink in, and a wave of pity towards Sumia eroded a significant portion of her anger. When she exhaled, some of her tension left with her breath. "Okay… I suppose I'll grant you that one… as long as you didn't actually tell her about the engagement."

Lissa felt encouraged by the way Rei's voice softened. "I didn't breathe a word of it, I swear!"

For a long moment, Rei was silent, as she could feel her rage slipping steadily away. Though she was not usually quick to anger, it was always swift to burn itself out of her. "Is that everyone?"

"Umm…" A small laugh tinged by nerves escaped Lissa in spite of herself as she played with one of her ponytails.

Rei practically gawked at Lissa. "There's more_?_!"

Lissa shifted from her heels to the balls of her feet and back again, her cheeks puffing up a bit in a sulky expression. "I-it's not my fault Lovers' Day is coming up and Chrom has too many girls chasing after him!"

Rei closed her eyes and sighed. "I think I can guess this next one. Cordelia, right?"

Lissa tried to disarm the tension with a cheerful smile. "You got it!"

A low groan slipped from Rei's lips as she put a gloved hand to her face.

"In my defense," Lisa said, "_she's_ the one who came to _me,_ trying to pretend she wasn't asking me what kind of things Chrom was looking for in a girl."

Rei ran her hand back through her hair, sliding her hood off in the process. "I'm almost afraid to ask what you told her."

Relief flooded through Lissa when she finally saw Rei's face properly. It told her that the worst of the storm was over, and allowed her to relax enough to giggle at the memory of her conversation with Cordelia. "I kinda sorta said Chrom was looking for someone who knows how to boss him around." She flashed Rei a knowing smile as she raised her eyebrows. "You know, someone who isn't afraid to give _him_ orders for a change. Someone smart and strong who can be a little _too_ practical at times for her own good, knows her way around a battlefield, makes the most _hilarious_ faces when pranked, and stuff like that."

Rei was not quite ready to smile back. "In other words, you gave her a vague description of me, is that it?"

Lissa pointed at Rei and winked. "You got it!"

"Please tell me that's everyone," Rei said, the words coming out almost like a sigh.

Lissa's gaze slid away from Rei. "Well…"

Rei's expression deadpanned. "You've _got_ to be kidding me."

Lissa threw her arms up. "Hey! How was I supposed to know Sully would suddenly show up looking for a sparring partner while I was talking with Cordelia?"

Rei felt too worn out from her earlier anger to feel more than annoyance at the news, and groaned quietly as she closed her eyes. "_Please_ tell me that's everyone you talked to about this."

Lissa flashed Rei a winning smile. "Thaaaat's everyone!"

Rei swept a critical eye over the princess' smiling face. "Really?"

"Really!" Lisa said. "If anyone else heard anything, they didn't hear it from me! I swear!" She held one hand over her chest and the other in the air for added sincerity.

A beat later, a thought suddenly occurred to Lissa, and she lowered her hands. "…Unless they happened to be close enough to overhear us talking without us realizing it like Tharja did the other night."

Rei covered her face with a hand and slowly shook her head. "Why did I ever think we could keep this a secret?"

"Don't ask me," Lissa said before a giggle escaped her. "Chrom never _was_ any good at keeping secrets."

Rei gave Lissa a flat stare between her fingers. "It seems to run in the family."


	3. Rank 3

Lissa tentatively peeked into Rei's tent, letting the noon sunlight flood inside. It had been a while since the unpleasant encounter between them, and she had not seen the chief tactician since being practically kidnapped and chewed out. "Hey, Rei? Are you still mad?"

Rei looked up from the various charts and maps spread out on the table in front of her. "No, not really." With a single motion, she removed her hood. "I'm still not happy that you broke your promise, but I'm not going to lecture you again. Come on in."

Lissa felt her tension flood out of her. "Whew! Thank goodness." She entered the tent quickly, making sure to close the flap securely behind her this time. "I was worried that you decided you weren't going to talk to me anymore, like you nearly did after all the pranks I pulled on you."

Despite what happened earlier, Rei smiled a little to alleviate Lissa's fears. "No… I'm willing to believe that you sincerely didn't mean to say anything. If I started avoiding someone just because they were coerced into breaking a promise, I wouldn't be able to spend time with Chrom anymore either."

Lissa practically beamed. "Heh, heh, yeah. I guess that's true. Chrom blew the secret first after all."

Rei gave Lissa a piercing look. "I wouldn't sound so excited about it, since you _were_ the one who made him break that promise in the first place."

The smile slipped from Lissa's face and she squirmed a bit under Rei's scrutiny. "Oh yeah… right."

Once Rei was certain Lissa had gotten the point, she relaxed into a more easy expression. "So, what's on your mind?"

"Um…" Lissa fidgeted a little as she played with one of her ponytails. "We're still friends, right? I'd hate to wind up getting a sister-in-law who hates me because I made one dumb mistake."

Rei's expression softened as she favored the other girl with a warm smile. "Don't worry, we're still friends."

"Great!" Lissa said, clasping her hands together as her enthusiasm returned. "Does that mean I can be your maid of honor at the wedding?"

Rei blinked. "My what?"

"_Maid of honor_!" Lissa said, emphasizing the title. "You know, the girl who stands beside the bride on her wedding day and helps her with all the planning!"

Rei slowly raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that the groom's role?"

Lissa's mouth twisted in thought. "Well, sure, I _guess_ he helps out too, but only after you drag him kicking and screaming into it. Guys usually have no idea how to plan a wedding, and would rather run and hide than pick out flowers or dresses or stuff like that."

Rei blinked slowly. "Um… Chrom hasn't been giving me any problems with discussing our wedding so far." She paused for a moment, her expression pensive. "Actually, he's usually the first one to bring it up."

"Maybe," Lissa said with a huff, "but when he talks about it, has he been planning out the procession? How many people will be attending the ceremony and reception? Where's the reception going to be and what kind of food are you going to serve? What about picking out bridesmaids and groomsmen? And he's definitely not going to help you plan your bachelorette party!"

Rei's expression was blank as it took her a moment to process what Lissa's rapid-fire speech. "Well… no. Usually, Chrom and I just talk about, well, _us_." Her gaze slid down to the battle plans laid out before her, still woefully unfinished. As one hand moved to her heart, the other touched where her engagement ring was hidden beneath her glove. "It's far too soon to be making any plans for the ceremony right now. There's no telling when this war will eventually end." Her voice lowered as she spoke, as the topic of war was one that was always on her mind. "It could be in a week, a month, a year, or even ten years. And then there's the aftermath to consider…"

"Which is why you need to plan out the wedding _now_," Lissa said as she smacked her hands on the table, leaning forward after she drew Rei's attention back to her. "_Everyone_ is going to be looking at Chrom to start ruling as soon as possible, and there's going to be a _lot_ of pressure on him to get married and have kids right away to secure the legacy of our family. Which means that there's not going to be a lot of time to think up all the details for the wedding if you put it off until then."

"Oh." Rei felt her stomach churn unpleasantly, as it did every time she discovered some critical detail she had not taken into account when crafting a strategy. "I suppose that's true… But in that case, it probably would be best to plan for a small and simple ceremony. That way, it won't divert too much money and manpower away from restoration." She frowned as she thought of how much money was currently in the war chest. "That windfall from those gold stealing Risen helped give us some breathing room, but we'll probably need all of it for the next few campaigns…"

Lissa groaned as her eyes rolled towards the ceiling dramatically. "There you go being stingy again." She leaned in closer until she and Rei were practically nose to nose, causing the tactician to jerk back slightly. "Look, I know you might think it'd be better to get married in the same field and clothes we first found you in, but this is a _royal wedding_ we're talking about." She straightened up and threw her arms out to her sides. "_Everyone_ in Ylisse is going to be talking about it. _All_ the neighboring kingdoms are going to be talking about it! Hundreds and hundreds of people are going to come from all over the country to see it happen, even if it means standing for hours outside just to catch a glimpse of the two of you standing on a balcony! It's more than just some big fancy party – it's a symbol of hope for every person in Ylisse. A big fantastic wedding tells the people that their country is prospering and makes them feel more secure."

Rei's eyes widened as she took in this new, vital piece of information. "Oh! I didn't think of it that way."

A small chuckle escaped Lissa as she grinned slyly. "That's because you haven't spent your entire life thinking about this kind of stuff like me and Chrom. Trust me, the bigger and better your wedding, the happier everyone is going to be."

This news changed everything, sending Rei's mind reeling with possibilities. "I suppose it couldn't hurt to work out at least a general strategy ahead of time." She rose to her feet as determination mingled with the same anticipation and anxiety that came with planning out battles gave her renewed energy. "Come on, let's go see if Chrom is free."

Lissa frowned slightly. "Why bother? I already told you guys always run and hide whenever girls try to make them work on wedding plans."

Rei flashed Lissa a cunning smile. "Then it's a good thing I'll have you there to help me convince Chrom that his input is absolutely vital, isn't it?"

The tactician's enthusiasm was infectious, and Lissa returned the smile with one of her own. "Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you!"


	4. Rank 4

Chrom groaned as he practically collapsed into his chair, the wood squeaking in protest under his weight. "That girl is relentless."

It was long after sunset and growing close to the middle of the night, yet Chrom was certain that if Lissa had not grown too exhausted to stay awake, they might have worked on the wedding plans until dawn. The princess had been so enthusiastic to help him and Rei plan for their special day that it took some time to convince her to leave for her own tent before she fell asleep in his. If that happened, his chances of spending time alone with Rei for a little while would have been thwarted – not that he had any intention of letting his little sister know that he had such an ulterior motive.

Rei smiled at Chrom as she sorted the pages of notes, drawings, and books scattered haphazardly across the large wooden table. "If you think planning that much was difficult, just imagine what would happen if Frederick finds out about our engagement too."

The very thought sent chills up Chrom's spine. "Gods, can you imagine?" He paused after realizing how that sounded. "Not that I don't intend to let Frederick know eventually. I mean… everyone is going to find out sooner or later, and besides, the man has done more for Lissa and me than I could ever hope to repay."

"I know what you mean," Rei said, more amused by Chrom's flustered behavior than anything else. "Frederick does tend to go well above and beyond when it comes to you and Lissa." She failed to suppress a giggle. "I can't say I've ever heard about a knight who would be so concerned about dusting his general's chief tactician before a strategy meeting."

Chrom felt heat flood his cheeks from the memory of that mortifying moment, which mingled with a minor pang of jealousy he felt towards seeing another man with his hands all over his fiancée's body, even if that man was Frederick and the act had been nothing but innocent, if overly fastidious. "Y-yes, that's exactly what I'm talking about." He brushed his fingers on top of Rei's hand as she reached for one of the books near him, smiling a little as he caught her eye. "Which is why I'll feel more at ease if we have all the important details planned out in advance, before we're forced to spend hours debating lace patterns for each doily laid out at our reception."

Rei smiled back at Chrom, her eyes filled with warmth even if her words were still playfully teasing. "Oh? So your biggest concern is doily patterns? I thought you'd be more worried about what kind of posters he might commission of the two of us for the announcement."

Chrom grimaced, his blush darkening, as he recalled Frederick's misguided attempt at bolstering morale for the army. "Don't remind me. Lissa laughed at me for a full week after finding one of those humiliating posters in her tent. Thank goodness I was able to get rid of them all before anyone else saw them."

A terrible thought suddenly struck Chrom, his eyes widening in alarm. "Wait… How did you know about those? I'm certain that Frederick overlooked posting one in _your_ tent." He frowned as his suspicions grew. "Did Lissa tell you?"

A giggle bubbled its way out of Rei as she finished neatly stacking the papers. "No, but she didn't need to."

Chrom sputtered for a moment, his voice cracking. "Y-you _saw_… A-and you never said anything_?_!"

Rei flashed her fiancé an impish smile coyly over her shoulder. "I didn't think it was appropriate for a lady to talk with the prince of the realm about whether or not he should be showing his subjects how much he _wants_ them. Of course, I couldn't help but wonder why someone hung a poster like _that_ above my bed – especially with a message that's just begging to be misunderstood. A lady who didn't know you better could easily mistake that as a _personal _invitation of sorts – _especially_ if it comes so soon after that same lady had a certain run in with said prince in the women's bathing-tent."

For a number of seconds Chrom could only stare at Rei in disbelief, before finally he let out a noise that was somewhere between a sigh and a groan as he slumped back against the chair. "Gods… so that explains all those odd looks you gave me after that. The things you must've thought about me…"

Rei slid into the seat beside Chrom and took her hand in his, twining their fingers together. Though she could not resist teasing him a little – especially after he told Lissa about their engagement without discussing the matter with her first – she did not want it to go so far that it hurt his feelings. "If it helps, I never seriously thought that you intended anything inappropriate on purpose. I just found your common sense and good taste questionable for a little while."

Despite his intense embarrassment, Chrom squeezed his fiancée's hand and gave her a lopsided smile. "It's no wonder you tried to brain me with a soap dish when you saw me looking just like that ridiculous poster."

Rei had intended to make a bit of banter to lighten the moment, but Chrom's words caught her off guard, as something clicked inside her head. "Huh. I never thought about it like that." She used her free hand to touch her chin as she mulled the point over. "I can't believe I never made the connection before, but I guess that's exactly what happened. When I saw those posters of you after the first incident in the bath… and add in how strangely you behaved around me after that… I guess I must have unintentionally put up my guard around you when it came to that sort of… um… _situation_."

"So when you walked in on me…," Chrom said slowly.

Warmth filled Rei's cheeks as she briefly looked away from her fiancé. "I guess that finally solves the mystery about why I snapped like I did. I must've been subconsciously bracing myself for some… ah… let's just call it _less_ than gentlemanly behavior."

Chrom shook his head as he gave Rei's hand another squeeze. "I would _never_ do anything like that… to you or anyone else."

"I know," Rei said softly, her reassuring smile tainted by embarrassment. "I guess that's the downside of training so often to be ready to fight at a moment's notice." She let out a heavy breath. "Honestly, figuring out the cause of that little violent episode is something of a relief. The last thing in the world I ever want is to see you get hurt, let alone be the one responsible, and it always troubled me that in the blink of an eye I lost control of myself and attacked you…" Her voice trailed off as her words conjured up a certain memory that took her down a darker train of thought than she intended when she started teasing her prince.

Chrom noticed the change in the tactician's mood and slipped his arm around Rei, pulling her to him. She started for a brief moment, before relaxing against him, resting her cheek against the Brand on his bare shoulder. "It's all right. What's done is done. There's no need to trouble yourself over it." He chuckled to lighten the mood. "Although, perhaps I should wear my armor on our wedding night just to be on the safe side."

The mention of their wedding night, and all the implications that went with it, created a stirring of warmth inside Rei's stomach and added a rosy hue to her cheeks. "I have a feeling that won't be necessary."

Chrom raised his eyebrows, his smile playful. "Oh really?"

Rei placed her hand on Chrom's chest, sliding it along his shirt until her palm rested over his heart, feeling a tiny pang of regret that she could not feel the heat of his body through her glove. Looking into his blue eyes and seeing his love for her squeezed her heart in a way that was so wonderful it was almost painful. "I trust you," she said, her voice soft. "Since the very beginning, no one has ever been as important or close to me as you, Chrom…"

"I feel the same way," Chrom said, his voice low and filled with emotion. "It feels like you've been at my side forever…" He removed his gloves and did the same for Rei, his bare fingers lingering to trace her Brand for a moment before he focused his touch on the ring that symbolized the promise they made to one another. "…Which is why I can't tell you how happy I am that we'll be spending the rest of our lives together."

Rei drew closer to Chrom, her hair brushing against his chin as she nodded. "I have to admit… having no memories made me wary of everything and everyone to some extent, including me…" _Especially me._ She straightened up so that they were eye level with each other. "…But over time, as I grew to know you and understand the kind of person you are, I learned more about myself too. I learned that my past isn't really that important. What matters to me is winning this war in the present, so I can spend my future with you, Chrom."

Rei paused when Chrom murmured her name and cupped her cheek in his hand. Instinctively, she leaned into his touch, covering his hand with her own, as her eyes drifted closed. "Whether we're spending time alone together like this, or fighting side-by-side on the battlefield, when we're together, I feel complete."

There was more Rei planned to say, but Chrom stole her breath away when he captured her lips in a kiss that overwhelmed her with emotion. The words she carefully prepared were obliterated in an instant, but she could scarcely manage to care. The only thing that mattered to her in that moment was returning the kiss with equal passion and enjoying every second they had together.


	5. Rank 5

Rei sighed as she sunk into the large tub in the women's bathing-tent, letting the warmth of the water soak into her skin and banish the chill of the early morning air. She always felt blessed during those few times when she had the bath all to herself, and she could simply languish for a short while in privacy. All it took was a little planning and some observation on what times in the day the other women tended to favor using the bathing-tent.

Unfortunately, there was no guarantee for how long such peaceful moments of privacy would last. At the sound of some commotion outside, Rei turned her attention to the changing area of the tent, which was the closest she could see to the entrance. The clamor made her wonder if something had happened while everyone else was at breakfast and if she should be alarmed. Someone burst into the tent with a cry, and a second later, they appeared from around the partition that blocked the entrance from the changing and bathing area, revealing that it was none other than Chrom.

"Rei!" Chrom shouted. "Thank goodness I found you!"

Any thoughts Rei had to chastise Chrom for the intrusion were banished as she saw the panic in the prince's eyes. Without thought of her nudity, she was on her feet in an instant, readying herself to battle. "What's wrong?"

Chrom glanced back over his shoulder in the direction of the exit as the sounds outside grew louder, allowing Rei to recognize the noise as the shouts of women. "No time to explain – they're right behind me! I need a place to hide!"

Rei swept her gaze through the bathing-tent, but found there were few viable options to use for a hiding place. "In here," she said as she pointed to the tub.

Chrom did not hesitate, to scramble into the bath, not caring that his clothes got soaked in the process. Fortunately, the round tub was built deep and large enough to hold a handful of people at a time, so there was plenty of room for the two of them. He ducked down into the water, ready to submerge completely, but Rei stopped him before he could dunk his head lower than his nose, and blocked sight of her fiancé with her body as she sat down. It was a flawed plan – one easily undone if someone came close enough peer into the tub itself – but it was the best she could come up with on such short notice.

After a hasty check to make sure none of the prince's clothes floated above water, Rei turned to face the entrance just as one of the women from the crowd outside burst into the bathing-tent.

Sully growled, her face red from more than just the heat of the steam-filled tent, as she stormed past the privacy partition, her eyes sweeping the length of the changing and bathing areas. "Where is he?"

Rei did not have to try very hard to appear confused. "Sully? What's wrong? Where's who?"

"Chrom!" Sully shouted. "That craven dastard ran off on me! You haven't seen him, have you?"

Rei frowned as she folded her arms over her chest, which was barely hidden by the lip of the tub. "I should hope not! What kind of noble would be so brazen as to walk right into the women's bathing-tent?" She noticed a slight choked sound from behind her, but tried not to think of what sort of expression Chrom was wearing right now, lest she ruin her poker face.

Sully let out an angry breath of air through her gritted her teeth. "Yeah, I guess no man here is so stupid he'd risk his hide by barging right in on any of us like that."

"What's going on?" Rei said, raising her voice slightly as she talked over the embarrassed grunt Chrom made. "Why are you looking for Chrom?"

"No time," Sully said as she hurried to the exit. "I've gotta catch Chrom before some other woman beats me to it!"

Rei listened to the shouts of the numerous women asking if Sully spotted Chrom, and the redhead making the same inquiry in return. She tried to pick out more details of their conversation to give her some clue as to what was going on. Unfortunately, the voices were too faint and too many people were talking all at once for her to hear anything beyond angry cries that Chrom should come and face them. She waited several minutes, until the sound of their voices faded in the distance, before she dared to speak. "I think it might be safe for the moment, but we should wait a little longer before we sneak you out of here," she whispered.

Chrom took that as a sign that he was free to emerge from the water and sighed in relief as he sat up, thankful that Rei had the forethought to keep his head just enough above water that he could breathe while hiding. "Thank you, Rei. I'm in your debt."

Rei turned around to face the prince, arms folded over her breasts. "It's fine, but what in the world was _that_ all about?"

Chrom leaned back against the edge of the tub. He opened his mouth to speak, when it finally registered that Rei was sitting within arm's length of him, completely bare to the world, with only the water and her limbs to give her any sort of modesty. Realizing that he had again intruded upon the tactician in a very vulnerable and intimate situation, he made a strangled noise as he quickly looked away. "I-I'm so, so sorry to burst in on you like this… again. B-but believe me, I never intended it for happen. It… it's just I had no choice thanks to this blasted contest."

Rei steadfastly focused on the conversation rather than the situation, as there was not much to do for it. If one of the women came in again while she was getting dressed, then there would be no one to block Chrom from discovery, and nowhere else in the tent where he could hide. "What contest?"

Intense heat made Chrom's cheeks glow a healthy shade of pink. His gaze was focused so hard on the tent wall, he was practically burning a hole through it with his eyes alone. "The… the one where I'll supposedly go out on a date with the first woman to best me in a duel."

Rei outright gawked at Chrom. "_What?_!"

Chrom closed his eyes and sighed. "Believe me… I'm not thrilled by the idea either. Lissa was the one to come up with it. She claimed it was a 'brilliant' plan that would allow the two of us to spend time together as a couple on Lovers' Day. In public, I mean."

"Oh no," Rei said, her eyes widening. "Don't tell me she took my idea seriously."

Surprise made Chrom turn towards Rei, but he looked away a moment later when vividly reminded of his fiancée's lack of dress. "Y… you mean this contest was _your_ idea_?_!"

Rei grimaced. "Unfortunately, though I only said it as a joke. Yesterday, Lissa was asking me what we'll be doing for Lovers' Day. When I told her we planned to spend it just like any other day, she started coming up with crazy suggestions for how we could slip away and have some sort of secret rendezvous." A sigh escaped her as she slowly shook her head. "I made a joke that the only way you and I could get away with going on a real date is if we made it sound like you held some sort of contest to boost morale where the winner got to spend an evening with you. I never considered actually going through with it, and I joked that we could say we decided it by a raffle, not armed combat."

"Apparently Lissa decided to run with your idea and make a few modifications to it, including posting fliers for it all around camp and in the village nearby," Chrom muttered. "She also got Frederick and a few of our comrades in on it, though I think most of them were looking forward to watching me try and escape a mob of crazed women."

Rei's brow furrowed. Something was not adding up in this scenario. "Well, I suppose it's only natural that a lot of women would be desperate to win your favor and the chance at courting you. You _are_ the crown prince after all… but I find it strange that someone like _Sully_ would be involved in this nonsense."

"It's not just her," Chrom said wearily. "Maribelle, Cordelia… even _Sumia_ charged at me atop her Pegasus brandishing one of those oversized logs used for training! Practically every woman in the army and the village acts like she wants my head!"

More alarm bells rang in Rei's head. "The village? But none of those women are trained to fight. How can they possibly hope to defeat you in a duel?"

Chrom sighed and slumped against the edge of the tub. "That surprised me too, but when I asked them about it, the consensus seemed to be that a _true_ gentleman would _let_ a lady win rather than risk harming her, especially when she's 'fighting for the sake of her pure maiden's heart,' or so I've been told."

"In other words, they wanted to force you to declare them the winner," Rei said, feeling a stab of irritation towards these women. "I imagine our comrades were more prepared to actually put up a real fight."

Chrom nodded, his expression grim. "I never imagined I would have to flee for my life from both a transformed Taguel and Manateke in the same day. I suppose the only reason why I managed to lose them was the sheer size of the crowd to create plenty of chaos and confusion."

"So _all_ of the women are after you?" Rei said slowly.

Chrom nodded, his eyes meeting Rei's briefly as he gave her a small smile. "Save for you, Lissa, and Tharja…" He chuckled dryly. "Admittedly, searching for you might've been my undoing if you caught whatever madness has been going around, but I suppose I wouldn't have minded so much if you were the one to defeat me, Rei."

"I think that was exactly what Lissa had in mind," Rei said, her mouth quirking in a smile for only a moment before her expression grew grim. "And I have a suspicion that every other woman going after you might have been in Tharja's."

Chrom forgot about Rei's state of undress and stared at the tactician with wide eyes. "What do you mean?" His brow furrowed as a terrible thought struck him. "You don't think that she would purposefully get between us because of her devotion to you, do you?"

Rei leaned back slightly, letting out a small, frustrated breath. "I think it's more likely that Tharja thinks she's testing yours. Some sort of hex _would_ explain the others' strange behavior."

Chrom blinked. "So this is all just some test? For what purpose?"

"I had a long talk with Tharja after she found out about our engagement," Rei said. "She was reluctant to accept it at first, but eventually I managed to convince her that we were getting married because we're in love and for no other reason." She paused to sigh. "Or at least… I got her understand how much _I_ love _you_. Last I checked, she's still not quite convinced that you 'deserve' to be with me, even after I gave her a long list of reasons why we belong together. She was concerned that since you're the prince and can have your pick of virtually any woman in the realm…" She let the thought hang in the air unfinished. She was more than well aware that Chrom had countless admirers, many of which who were members of nobility with prestigious backgrounds, unlike her.

Chrom took a moment to digest the information. "She must be concerned that I'll be tempted to betray you." He noticed Rei flinch slightly, her expression strained. Though hesitant due to her state of undress, he drew closer and touched his fiancée's shoulder. "That will never happen, Rei. You're my other half, remember?"

Warmth filled Rei's cheeks as she let Chrom's words soothe away her nagging fear, allowing her to relax a little and bringing a smile to her face. "I know. Hopefully, eventually Tharja will understand that as well. I'll talk to her later and try again to convince her."

Though the idea that Tharja had hexed the other women to clamor for his attention was troubling, Chrom found himself distracted by what else Rei told him. "We'll both talk to her… and ask her to reverse any hexes she may or may not have cast." His smile took on a hint of mischief in spite of the situation, as he toyed with some strands of the tactician's wet hair. "Though I must admit that right now I'm more interested in hearing those reasons you gave her…"

Rei's eyes took on a playful light. "They're nothing we haven't already told each other before."

Unthinkingly, Chrom drew ever closer to his fiancée, his smile growing. "Perhaps you could refresh my memory?"

As much as Rei wanted to pursue that line of thought, she could not forget the precarious position they were in, particularly when Chrom's chest pressed up against her arms. With a pang of regret, she pulled back from her beloved just before he could kiss her. "Um… I don't think that'd be a good idea right now. It doesn't really bother me if you're the one who sees me like this, but we need to deal with the current situation first." She paused as heat pinked her cheeks, her voice lowering. "Besides… don't you think it might be a bit…" She hesitated, searching for the right word to fit the situation and how she felt about it. "…_Inappropriate_ to do anything like… that?"

The word sent Chrom away from Rei as though it burned him. He turned away quickly, mortified. "F-forgive me! I… I wasn't thinking clearly. We might be engaged, but that's no excuse to take advantage of you in such an unguarded moment."

Rei frowned, dissatisfied with her fiancé's reaction. She had not intended to deter him _that_ strongly. "I'm not worried about you taking advantage of me, Chrom. I'm more concerned about the damage to your reputation should someone catch us. If word went around that Ylisse's prince was participating in illicit affairs, or that his bride wasn't a virgin, then…"

Chrom started to look back, but quickly suppressed the urge. "I imagine a reputation as a scallywag with an army of women chasing after him would be far more damning than rumors about how madly in love I am with my future wife."

A pleasant warmth made Rei's heartbeat quicken, and she smiled in spite of herself. "I suppose you have a point there. I love you so much that sometimes I wish we could devote more time to each other, no matter who might see." Her eyes lit up as an idea struck her. "…Which is why I hope you forgive me if I challenge you to a duel to spare your reputation."

Alarmed, Chrom whirled about to face Rei, causing the water around him to splash in every direction. "What? Not you too!"

Rei chuckled softly and smiled to soothe Chrom's fears. "Don't worry, this duel isn't going to involve any weapons. What I have in mind is a challenge of restraint. All you have to do is not look down."

Chrom blinked. "Look down?"

"The first person to look down loses," Rei said, grinning. "Ready? Go!"

Chrom stared at Rei, completely baffled by her suggestion. "I think this is probably the strangest challenge I've ever been given."

Rei let out a quiet hum as she stretched her arms above her head. "Is that so?"

Though the movement should have drawn Chrom's eye upward, the way his fiancée's back arched as she stretched drew his gaze lower to focus on a certain part of her anatomy that he had been forbidden to see, which seized his interest entirely. It took him a few seconds to realize that he was gawking and he quickly looked away with a yelp.

With a giggle, Rei covered herself with one arm and poked one of Chrom's flushed cheeks. "I win."

Chrom could scarcely look at his fiancée, his face almost completely red by this point. "Wh-what?"

"I saw it," Rei said playfully. "You looked down."

Slowly, Chrom turned towards Rei, his expression incredulous when he realized she tricked him into losing the match. However, it was the way she won that got to him the most. "Th-that was… I-it wasn't intentional! I… You just…"

Rei tried unsuccessfully to stifle her laughter. "A good tactician needs to know how to improvise in any situation."

Chrom could still not get over the fact that Rei had resorted to that sort of tactic. "But that… I never expected that you would fl… ah… I-I mean…"

Rei's amusement faded into a softer expression. "Chrom, we've already seen each other naked before, and sometime in the near future we'll be doing it on a regular basis. While I'm still getting used to the idea, if I was truly upset at being seen by you like this, you'd know it. Believe me."

Chrom grimaced as he rubbed his ear where Rei hit him with a soap dish the last time such an awkward incident involving nudity occurred between them. "You have a point there… Though I must admit that I'm still rather shocked by it, especially given what you said about how inappropriate it is for us to be together like this."

"Actually, I was thinking of what would happen if you started kissing me," Rei murmured as her gaze drifted away from her fiancé. "I'm not sure either one of us would be able to stop… and I'd _really_ rather not let someone catch us like this, or worse." Her cheeks darkened, as she could not help but consider just what sort of things they could do together in the bath, if only for a moment. "W-Which is why we should leave as quickly as possible."

When the tactician rose to her feet and her nude body emerged from the water, Chrom let out a startled cry that sounded suspiciously close to a squawk. His gaze kept rapidly shifting between his beloved and elsewhere, as he had no idea whether or not he should look away or if he was being given permission to indulge in such a glorious sight.

Rei felt her blush travel from her cheeks down to her neck, but she refused to let her embarrassment control her reaction to Chrom's eyes on her body. She focused instead on climbing out of the tub and then drying herself off with a towel. "I'll go out first and make sure the coast is clear, then we'll sneak you to your tent before I have a long talk with Lissa, Tharja, and the others about this mess."

Chrom nodded slowly, not quite as focused on the tactician's plan as he should have been. "Right… But… uh… are you absolutely _sure_ you don't mind me seeing you in this state?"

Rei sighed as she vigorously rubbed her hair dry, fighting against the flustered feelings fluttering inside her chest. Despite her resolve, a part of her felt like shrieking in mortification for behaving so brazenly as to pretend that being naked in front of Chrom was no big deal. Fortunately, that irrational impulse was far weaker than it used to be, allowing her to slap it down and keep a level head. "I'm sure. I still don't like the fact that I attacked you last time something like this happened. That was inexcusable, and I refuse to lose control of myself like that again." She moved the towel aside so that she could look Chrom in the eye and smiled in the face of her fears, though she could not suppress the redness in her cheeks. "Just try not to make a habit of this until we're married, okay?"

Chrom met Rei's gaze and returned the smile with some trepidation, still wary of going too far and upsetting his fiancée, but, at the same time, he could not help but want to drink in the sight of her. He wanted to tell her how beautiful she was, how lucky he felt at that moment, but he was afraid that she would not want to hear it in their present situation. "You have my word."

Rei felt a little more at ease at by the promise and started to dress. "Besides, if I can get used to bathing with the company of other women, I can get used to the idea of doing it with my future husband."

"Glad to hear it," Chrom said. It was only after Rei was in her smallclothes that he managed to regain enough of his senses to catch the full implications of her comment. "Wait. You never told me you had a problem with shared bathing." An odd expression appeared on his face. "Don't tell me you threw things at the other women."

Rei looked over her shoulder at Chrom with one leg in her pants and the other out. A flicker of annoyance crossed her features, though she could not say that the concern was unwarranted. "No, fortunately. I just… didn't like the idea of exposing myself like that, I suppose… and it took me a while to get used to the idea that most of the women in this country don't seem to give a second thought about it… though sometimes I think they should." Her expression darkened a bit as she thought of the few times she had to thwart the perverted plans of people who wanted to peep at her and her comrades when they were at their most vulnerable.

Chrom felt his concern grow. "I had no idea you felt this way about it. I would've made arrangements to make you more comfortable – I still could if you'd like."

Rei let out an exasperated sigh as she shook her head. "That's exactly _why_ I never said anything about it before." She turned her attention back to dressing herself. "I don't need any special accommodations for something so frivolous, especially when it requires diverting funds from more important things, like having a fully stocked armory."

Chrom moved closer to the edge of the tub. "But if you're uncomfortable–"

"I _used_ to be uncomfortable," Rei said before putting on her shirt. "I grew accustomed to it a long time ago, so there's nothing to worry about." She paused to trace hand along her hooded cloak, looking over the Plegian designs, before slipping it on as well. "It's just a hunch, but I suspect that I might've been a very private person before I lost my memories. Either that or I was used to different customs on a subconscious level… or maybe it took me a while to get used to everything."

"Rei…," Chrom breathed, feeling his chest constrict. Whenever Rei spoke of her lost memories, he always found himself at a loss. He wanted to help her desperately, but there was no battle he could fight, no foe to slay, that could give her memories back. He ached to touch her, to do whatever he could to distract her from such somber thoughts, but the present restricting circumstances made him hesitate.

Rei smiled at Chrom when she noticed his concern. "It's okay, really." Her smile turned sly. "Besides, if I wasn't used to the idea of being undressed around anyone, you would be at the mercy of an army of women all clamoring for your attention right now."

Chrom's breath came out almost as a chuckle, though his humor was tempered. "I suppose I should thank the gods that you adapt to new situations so quickly."

Rei's smile broadened at the compliment. "It's all part of being a good tactician."

Once Rei finished dressing, she turned to leave, only to pause at the privacy partition and glance over her shoulder at Chrom. "Um… You might want to get out of the bath sometime soon. You're going to get sick if you stay in those wet clothes for too long."

A small laugh tinged with awkwardness escaped Chrom. "Y-yes, of course. I should do that right away."

Rei waited, but after a few seconds ticked by, neither of them had moved. "Um… Do you need my help climbing out with all those heavy clothes on, or…?"

"N-no!" Chrom said, his voice cracking briefly. "I-I mean, no, I'm fine. I just a bit… uh… overheated. I just need a bit of cold water to cool down, that's all. You better go ahead and get going before the others come back this way."

Rei blinked at her fiancé, confused by his odd behavior, but she could not pin down the reason why he seemed uneasy with leaving the bath. She supposed that it was possible that Chrom really was simply overheated due to the steam that always lingered in the bathing-tent, which was nice while naked, but rather uncomfortable while wearing clothes. "Well… okay. I'll be back in a short while then."

"Good," Chrom said. "That's good. Really… good." He waited until Rei disappeared from sight behind the partition before letting out a sigh that turned into a groan. Only after he was certain that she was gone did he gingerly pull himself out of the tub despite intense discomfort lingering in a particular part of his body.

"I suppose this is divine punishment for barging in on Rei a second time," Chrom muttered under his breath as he went to fill a bucket with cold water. He was going to need it.


	6. Rank 6

"I believe that the blue compliments your eyes the best, milord," Frederick said.

Lissa sighed as she put her hands on her hips. "I still think that the white one with the gold trim looked more _princely_. Don't you think so, Chrom?"

Chrom sighed as he waved off Frederick's umpteenth attempt to smooth out his hair just so. "What I think is that Lovers' Day will be long over if I let the two of you keep fussing over my appearance like this."

In spite of his words, Chrom could not help but take a quick glimpse of himself in the mirror propped up near the wall of his tent. The outfit he wore now was not much different the clothes he usually wore – though it was a lighter shade of blue with some gold accents, and it lacked both cape and armor. He was more worried about dressing up _too much_ than looking 'suitable' for a date given the unfortunately secretive nature of his engagement.

"I look fine," Chrom said, half to fend off Lissa and Frederick, and half to soothe his nerves. This was going to be his first outing with Rei as a couple in a public setting. He felt confident that a master tactician like Rei already had a strategy in mind to ensure that no one would realize that this date meant far more than winning some ridiculous contest. However, he had to do his part to keep up the charade, and that meant keeping his behavior friendly and casual. "There's no need to make too big a deal out of this."

Lissa puffed out her cheeks and made an irritated sound. "No big deal? Are you kidding?"

Frederick nodded, his expression contemplative. "Perhaps you have a point, milord. It's not as though you intend to court Rei as a potential bride." He missed seeing Chrom flinch and failed to notice how Lissa looked elsewhere. "In any case, it would be best if you put your best foot forward and took this matter seriously, which is why I prepared these flowers and chocolates for you to deliver to Rei, along with a heartfelt Lovers' Day poem I composed myself." He grabbed sizable red box, a bouquet of wild flowers, and a card from a bag he had placed off to the side of the tent and shoved them all into the prince's hands at once.

A yelp escaped Chrom as he nearly dropped all of the items thrust upon him. After he was certain that he would not lose his grip on anything, he craned his neck to peer around the large blossoms. "N-now hold on a second. If I show up with all of these, won't everyone get the wrong idea?"

Frederick smiled reassuringly. "Of course not, milord. These gifts are the customary offerings any man must give to the woman who decides to favor him with her presence on Lovers' Day. It wouldn't do to give the impression that you didn't care to honor tradition, or that you decided not to show whichever lucky maiden won the contest a good time."

Chrom gave Lissa a sideways look. "When you say it like that, you almost make it sound like this contest was my decision."

Lissa let out a giggle that almost sounded guilty before she shoved Chrom towards the tent flap. "Well, it's too late to back out now! Go on and show Rei the time of her life!"

Chrom stumbled from the push, but quickly managed to regain his balance before he could crash into something. He glanced back at his little sister and sighed before shaking his head. "Right… right."

"Have a good time, milord!" Frederick said with a wide smile as he waved to Chrom's retreating back. "Remember, you're meeting Rei in front of the fountain in the town square. Don't worry about tripping over anything. I made sure to clear the path leading to town of any errant pebbles or debris. Oh, and do try not to stay out too late. It'd be unfortunate if someone were to get the wrong idea if you and Rei were to spend the night in the city alone together."

Chrom jerked, his cheeks tinting a vivid shade of pink, then quickly tried to downplay his reaction. "R-right. Of… of course! I would never… That is to say I… Well I mean is…"

"Get going already!" Lissa shouted. "Rei is probably wondering if you stood her up by now!"

Chrom yelped and covered his ear where Lissa practically yelled into it. "Y-yes, right!" He hurried out of the tent, fighting to suppress the heat that still clung to his cheeks. Sometimes he wondered if Frederick suspected that there was more to his relationship with the army's chief tactician than the Great Knight was letting on.

After leaving the encampment, Chrom shook his head to dispel that idea. _If Frederick had even the slightest idea that Rei and I are getting married, there's no way he could keep quiet about it._

Certainly, Frederick would be upset that such information was kept secret from him, and Chrom would need to somehow make it up to the other man, but the prince knew how forthright the Great Knight was. If anything, the day Frederick found out about the engagement would be the day before _everyone_ learned about it – likely in the most grandiose and embarrassing manner possible.

Chrom looked down at the plethora of presents in his arms and shook his head. He was certain that Rei would disapprove of him lavishing so many gifts on her. Judging by all the stares thrown his way by the townspeople he passed, he felt convinced that they took one look at him and knew without a doubt that he was going to meet his beloved. He realized that he needed to get rid of the gifts, yet he could not quite bring himself to do it. _I'll just wait to see what Rei thinks we should do with these._

The fountain at the center of the town was hardly as impressive as the ones in the capitol, but it seemed the people had decided to decorate it and the town square with flowers and red pieces of paper cut out in the shape of hearts. He looked around for the chief tactician's familiar dark colored cowl, but saw no sign of Rei, just an array of people dressed up for Lovers' Day outings like him. He started to worry that she had left because he had arrived much later than the agreed upon time, when he heard a familiar voice call his name. He turned, but instead of a tactician in Plegean robes, he found a woman standing before him wearing a lavender dress, who he recognized belatedly as his fiancée. He could not help but stare, his wide eyes taking in every detail about her.

Although the design of her gown was simple, hardly something fit for a royal ball, Rei somehow made it far more stunning than anything Chrom had seen at any function. The dress was strapless, and she had covered her bare shoulders with a shawl that matched the color of her dress, as well as the delicate looking gloves that hid her engagement ring and Brand. Decorating her hair were freshly plucked wild violets, giving her an air of innocence about her.

Rei smiled at Chrom as she let out a small, breathy laugh. "I was starting to wonder if you'd decided not to go through with this." Her gaze drifted down to the presents stacked in his arms. "What's all this?"

Chrom did his best to shake off his surprise, too distracted by his fiancée's appearance to register her question. "Rei… You… you look beautiful."

Warmth filled Rei's cheeks as her smile grew. "Thank you, Chrom. You're looking very dashing today yourself."

"But I thought we weren't going to…" Chrom fumbled with his words, lowering his voice. "I-I mean… this _isn't_ supposed to be a 'real' date, right? Not to say that it _isn't _our first real date, but I mean no one else is supposed to know that."

Rei let out a thoughtful hum and lowered her voice to a whisper. "I thought about it for quite a while, and I realized that even if we weren't engaged, I still would've dressed up for this date." She paused to giggle. "…If only to see the look on your face."

A sense of relief washed over Chrom and he smiled back at Rei. "So you're all right with all of this?"

Rei grinned slyly. "The 'official' story, as far as the others are concerned, is that I only won the contest because it got so out of hand, and I wanted to put a stop to it before someone got hurt. Of course, I couldn't risk embarrassing the prince of Ylisse by turning down my 'prize', or showing up in the same clothes I wear on the battlefield. Besides, if I didn't dress up, Lissa was prepared to drag me off kicking and screaming to town to shop for ball gowns."

"I can't say I would've cared what you wore," Chrom said softly, although he could not help but look over his fiancée again with great appreciation. "I'm just relived that you're not upset."

Rei took a step towards Chrom, her gaze soft as her eyes met his. "It's hard to be upset when we finally have a chance to really spend time alone together like this. The stolen moments we share are wonderful, but I'm really looking forward to having you all to myself for a while."

"I feel the same way," Chrom murmured as he drew closer to Rei. He noticed that her lips were a darker shade of pink than usual, almost red, and had a glossy shine. It became a struggle for him to fight the sudden temptation to kiss her despite the people around them. "You're wearing make up?"

Rei nearly touched her face, but stopped herself at the last moment, the rosy hue of her cheeks darkening a little. "Maribelle did it for me, and she styled my hair too. She and Lissa insisted on making sure I was dressed properly for the occasion. In fact, they woke me up at dawn to get ready. The only thing that spared me from hours of shopping was the fact that I already bought this outfit sometime ago."

Chrom blinked. "Really? What for? I've never seen you dressed up for anything."

"What's funny about that is I got it because of _you_." With a chuckle, Rei lightly poked Chrom's nose, causing him to blink again. "Remember back around when we first met, how you said you didn't think of me as a lady? Well, when we were passing through a village about a week or so after that, I spotted this dress in a shop window on clearance and decided to see if you would still think that way if you saw me dressed up like this."

The memory of that conversation made Chrom's cheeks tint with heat with mortification. "I can't believe I ever said anything so foolish. Believe me… I don't think that way anymore. I think of you as woman more than anyone else I know."

Rei's expression was gentle when she chanced to touch Chrom's cheek, but for only a moment. She wanted to kiss him, to pull him close, but she had to be mindful of where they were and how many people were milling about. "Thank you, Chrom. That really means a lot to me."

Chrom failed to suppress a sigh as Rei moved back from him. "So why didn't you ever wear the dress before?"

"I never really had an occasion to wear it until now," Rei said before slumping her shoulders with a sigh. "Honestly, once I got back to camp, I had a terrible case of buyer's remorse. I realized that I was just being petty, so I just packed the dress and everything I got to go with it at the bottom of my trunk and let it be a lesson to myself about avoiding impulse purchases."

"I'm glad you bought it," Chrom said, his eyes filled with affection as he smiled at his fiancée. "In fact, I think we should come up with more occasions for you to wear it, don't you?"

Rei could not help but return the smile. "I'd like that." Her eyes drifted down to the gifts in Chrom's arms. "But maybe we should focus on getting date underway before planning for the next one, don't you think?"

Chrom followed Rei's gaze before fumbling a bit to hold the three items out to her without dropping them. "Oh, right! These are for you." He felt flustered at her inquisitive look. "B-before you say anything, these were Frederick's idea."

"Oh really?" Rei said, an undercurrent of laughter in her voice. "Then remind me to thank him later." She took the bouquet, careful not to let the card or box fall. "How about we both share the burden of carrying these until we find someplace to set them down?" She moved in a little closer, using the flowers to block her face from view of prying eyes as she gave her fiancé a seductive smile. "Preferably someplace where we can _really_ enjoy Lovers' Day the way it was intended."

The suggestion was all the motivation Chrom needed to get him moving. "R-right! Let's go find someplace to, uh, to sit. Right. Sit! And talk. A lot."

Rei giggled at Chrom's enthusiasm and clumsy attempt at being suggestive as she kept pace with him. Although she did not feel quite confident enough to risk holding his hand in public, she made sure that their fingers would brush as the two of them walked side-by-side.


	7. Rank 7

After a casual stroll through the village, talking about any topic that did not relate to the war, Chrom and Rei stopped at a cozy restaurant for lunch. Though it was still the middle of the day, the interior was dimly lit, with only a single candle on each table to provide illumination, in an effort to create a more intimate atmosphere between couples. Ever aware of potential dangers, Rei made sure they were seated at a relatively secluded booth that provided a good vantage point of the entrances and the rest of the restaurant, while ensuring that there would be a minimal chance of people outside spotting them through the windows. She scanned the area after they sat down, making note of potential points of entry and devising some quick strategies to counter any sudden attacks. She also made sure to take the seat facing the door so that she could keep an eye on who came and went from the place before she allowed herself to relax.

Chrom looked around the restaurant as well, but combat was far from his mind. "Is it just my imagination, or does it seem like we've been getting some dirty looks for a while now?"

"It's not just you," Rei said. She took another look around at their surroundings, but it seemed as though no one in this place was paying them much mind. Even the serving staff seemed to be moving slowly due to the high number of patrons. "I wouldn't worry about it too much. I suspect it's just that the men in the village might be feeling a little resentful that so many of women were trying to spend the day with you instead of one of them."

Chrom let out a sound of displeasure. "It's not just the men. I've noticed that a few of the women seem rather upset as well."

Rei sighed, as she recalled how many women they passed by on the street who were practically glaring holes into her head. She suspected Chrom had spotted only a small fraction of the women who displayed their jealousy towards her so plainly, as most of them tended to look away as soon as the prince so much as glanced in their direction. "I'm not surprised. Given that the prize was a date with the crown prince on the most romantic day of the year… I imagine a good number of women would've participated in that ridiculous contest even if Tharja _didn't_ influence them."

A quiet sigh escaped Chrom as well. "You have a point there. I can't say I've had any shortage of admirers and flirtatious advances over the years."

Rei felt a minor pang of irritation, but did her best not to think of other women attempting to woo away her fiancé, or worse, succeeding. She let out a teasing hum and smiled a little in a way that she hoped looked relaxed. "When you say it like that, you almost sound like Virion."

Chrom grimaced at the comparison. "Believe me… he would've enjoyed it far more than I have." He leaned back in his seat and exhaled slowly. "Most women who've shown interest in me tend to have their eyes on the crown. They usually want to elevate their status by marrying into royalty and see me as nothing more than an accessory, or they become disappointed after meeting me because I'm unable to live up to the unrealistic picture they've painted in their minds about what a prince must be like well before they even met me."

The quiet jealousy Rei felt turned almost to guilt, and she reached across the table to squeeze Chrom's hand. "It's hard to imagine that anyone couldn't see what a wonderful man you are after they've met you. You always treat everyone with respect and kindness, no matter who they are or where they come from."

Chrom let out a quiet chuckle as he wove his fingers between Rei's. "Well, maybe not _everyone_."

"Maybe," Rei said softly, reminded of awful men like King Gangrel, "but it wasn't the crown that won the faith of so many good men and women." She leaned in a bit closer to Chrom. "It was the man wearing it…" She paused and let out a giggle. "Metaphorically I mean. I can't recall ever seeing you wear one."

Chrom laughed along with Rei as he ran his fingers through his hair. "Sometimes, mostly on formal occasions, though I don't feel comfortable wearing it. The crown has a tendency to make everyone around me feel that they have to treat me like a prince, and that usually means keeping a respectful distance. I'd rather not have a silly piece of jewelry come between me and my friends."

"I doubt that it would," Rei said with an easy smile. "With or without the crown, you have an amazing ability to draw people to you. I know that from the first moment I saw you, I wanted to stand by your side. Even if you woke up in that same field I did and had nothing but your name, I still would've fallen in love with you."

"Rei…," Chrom whispered, overwhelmed with emotion. He pulled Rei closer to him as he leaned across the table, knocking over the salt and pepper shakers as he closed the distance between them. Rei made a sound of surprise, which was quickly muffled when his mouth captured hers. She nearly pulled back, mindful of the secretive nature of their engagement, but the intensity of his emotions conveyed by the kiss made her hesitate, and she gave in for only a moment.

A rough cough that was obviously made to catch the pair's attention broke Chrom and Rei apart instantly. A tired looking waiter wearing a wilted corsage stood before them with a pad of paper and a pen. "Pardon me for interrupting," the man said. "I'm here to take your order."

"O-oh, r-right," Rei said as she tried unsuccessfully not to look as flustered as she felt. "Our… our orders."

"That… that's right!" Chrom said as he straightened up, his cheeks just as red as Rei's. "We… we haven't ordered anything yet."

Although the waiter initially seemed faintly amused, the emotion faded quickly. He appeared to be wandering halfway between sleep and waking, which forced the couple to repeat their orders more than once before they were sure he wrote them down correctly. He barely looked their way the entire time, and disappeared much more quickly than he arrived.

Chrom shook his head once he was sure the waiter was out of earshot. "Well," he said softly. "That was… unexpected."

Rei nodded and sighed as she looked around. A part of her still felt flustered about what had happened, even though the waiter seemed too out of it to recognize them, and it did not appear as though anyone else was paying them much attention at the moment. "We need to be more careful. How about we find someplace a little less crowded after we eat?"

Chrom leaned back into his seat. "Sounds like a plan." He swept his gaze through the restaurant, which was packed with tables and couples. "Although… it might be a while. I have a feeling that the staff might be overwhelmed by all the customers they're getting today."

Rei took another look at their surroundings. At least a fourth of the diners who had been there when the couple first arrived were gone, with new patrons in their place, and busboys scrambling to clear and ready empty tables for the next customers. "And this is just the lunch crowd. We should probably plan on having dinner someplace where there won't be as many people. Maybe we could stop by a bakery and get a few things we could eat someplace more private."

"That sounds great," Chrom said with a smile. "I'd love to enjoy a picnic with you under the stars… just the two of us."

Rei blinked then felt an awkward flush of heat in her cheeks. "Oh, right, yeah, a picnic. We could have a picnic… er, after we get a blanket or something so we won't get too cold when the temperature drops after the sun sets."

Chrom cocked an eyebrow at how abruptly Rei had grown flustered, her speech a little more rapid than usual. "Was that not what you had in mind?"

Rei had a hard time looking Chrom in the eye as her cheeks darkened a bit more. "Um… well… actually, what I originally had in mind was something a _little_ different… but thinking about it some more, it might not be that good an idea after all. In fact, it's probably a _very_ bad idea."

"Really," Chrom said, his tone a mixture of skepticism and curiosity. "I find that hard to believe."

"W-well…" Rei shifted in her seat, growing more anxious under Chrom's intense gaze. "It's… There's not going to be that many places where we can have any real privacy when we're outside, unless we move further away from town, which puts us at risk if any bandits, Risen or anything else happens to come across us… We could go back to camp, but there's no way we could do it unseen, which means that the second we return, this date will be over, and I'm not ready to do that yet."

"Neither am I," Chrom said as he squeezed Rei's hand.

Rei looked at their interlocked hands and took a deep breath before letting it out slowly. "The only place we'll get any privacy will be here in the village, and it can't be in a public building, since they'll be crowded with lovers looking for a secluded spot of their own… So our best bet would be to go somewhere that we're _guaranteed_ privacy."

Chrom felt his interest grow. "And where might that be?"

Rei half covered her flushed face with her free hand as she let out a short, breathy laugh. "Okay, this is going to sound… I don't even know what word I should use to describe it… but I had this crazy thought that we could go to an… inn."

The last word came out so quietly – almost an awkward squeak – that Chrom was uncertain if he had heard Rei correctly. Even if he was mistaken, the very idea filled him with heat and plethora of conflicting emotions. "A-an inn?"

Rei kept her eyes covered, too embarrassed to see Chrom's expression. The way his voice cracked was enough to tell her that she had completely shocked him. "I know, I know. I told you it was a _really_ bad idea. The rooms are probably already rented out to other couples by now, and if they're not, the rates are probably exorbitantly high today. Not to mention what might happen if someone were to recognize us, even only one of us went to rent the room and the other snuck in a little later… and it's not as though we can stay away from camp overnight, which means we'd be spending a lot of money for only a couple hours of privacy."

Words failed Chrom. His thoughts were rapid and his emotions were running high as he stared at Rei and considered the possibility. While they had spent many stolen moments together in the privacy of their personal tents, those times were spent with the fear of interruption hanging over their heads, leaving them with little more than minutes, sometimes seconds, to spend time together as a couple. Their current situation presented a very tempting opportunity to enjoy themselves far more intimately than they could back at camp – accidents in the bathing-tents notwithstanding. Despite all the legitimate concerns Rei raised about the idea, he could not dismiss it altogether, particularly since his fiancée who brought it up in the first place.

"Maybe so," Chrom said as he gathered his wits about him. "But a few hours alone with you would be more than worth the price."

Rei felt her heartbeat quicken, and she forced herself to look into Chrom's eyes. "Yes, but…" Movement out of the corner of her eye silenced her, and she turned to see the waiter approaching them with a tray of drinks. "L-let's talk about this after we've eaten. You know what they say about how hard it is to really think things through on an empty stomach."

"All right," Chrom said. He reluctantly allowed the subject drop in favor of lighter topics of conversation, but the possibility of spending the evening with Rei alone in a private room at an inn would not leave his thoughts.


	8. Rank 8

Despite the restriction placed upon Chrom and Rei that kept them from displaying their affection as anything but platonic, their date was going well. A surprising number of Lovers' Day events were taking place in the village, from special performances in theaters, vendors selling special wares in the streets such as flowers and chocolate, and wandering musicians offering to play romantic ballads of a couple's choice in exchange for a few coins. There seemed to be no end of things to do, and the pair were enjoying every minute of it.

The couple stopped in front of a performer showing off three small dogs dressed in pink tutus that could dance on their hind paws to the tune of a flute. Although the performance was cute and was an impressive testament to the dog trainer's abilities, Chrom did not hold the same level of interest in it that Rei did. He focused more on the way her violet eyes lit up as the dogs did flips, or how she laughed when they spun around. It was moments like this that made him think this date was worth all trouble Lissa's contest put them through.

A glimpse of blue out of the corner of his eye caught Chrom's attention. In that instant, he spotted someone in the crowd half hidden by the corner of a building.

_Marth?_

Chrom immediately turned his attention to where he caught sight of the mysterious Marth, but there were too many people milling back and forth, constantly blocking his view. His eyes scanned the area, but he did not see Marth again.

"Chrom?" Rei's voice brought Chrom's attention back around to his fiancée, who wore a concerned yet slightly tense expression on her face. He recognized it as the alertness that usually came when one was readying themselves for impending combat. "What's wrong?"

"I thought I saw…" Chrom's voice faded to nothing as he began to question how certain he was that the person he had seen was Marth. The streets were full of color, ranging from decorations to outfits to hair. He saw a few women with blue hair that wore similarly colored dresses and wondered if it was one of them he saw. Besides, somehow the idea that someone like like Marth would be on a date for Lovers' Day somehow seemed too absurd for him to consider seriously. "Never mind, it's nothing."

Rei turned her gaze in the direction Chrom had been looking and let out a displeased hum, not quite accepting that answer. "Did you see one of our comrades?"

"Yes, er, no," Chrom said as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I thought I did, but it seems I just mistook a stranger for someone familiar."

"Oh." After taking another look around and finding no one she recognized, Rei returned her attention to Chrom. "I guess that's understandable, all things considered… I keep half expecting to run into someone we know, or see Tharja hiding somewhere in the crowd, watching us."

"I know what you mean…" Chrom sighed before lowering his voice to a whisper. "I wish that we didn't have to hide how we feel about one another like this."

Rei looked to the people near them, making sure that they were paying more attention to the performing dogs than their conversation. She nudged Chrom a slight distance from the ring of people so that they could minimize the risk of being overheard. "I know what you mean," she said quietly. "I hate not being able to really relax with you while we're in public like we used to."

"Then why don't we just do it now?" Chrom took Rei's hand in his. "Neither of us is happy hiding like this."

Rei let out a frustrated breath as she reluctantly slipped her hand free from Chrom's grip, looking away so she would not have to see the disappointment in his blue eyes. "You _know_ why. This war is far bigger than the two of us. We have a responsibility–"

"I know," Chrom said, "but if we could be close before without fear of what others thought, and no one mistook us for lovers, then there's no reason we can't do it again."

Rei closed her eyes. "That's because we _weren't_ lovers at the time."

Chrom stepped towards Rei. "Yes, but…"

Rei sighed and poked Chrom's chest, preventing him from getting any closer. "Chrom, I want you to think back to a few months ago, _before_ you started avoiding me before proposing. When we spent time in each other's tents after we finished discussing strategies for the day, what did we usually do?"

Chrom's brow furrowed. "Well… we usually talked about whatever we found interesting at the time, or sometimes we played games or did a little sparring."

Rei nodded slowly. "Now, I want you to think about what we normally do _now_."

"It's not too much different now, I'd say, except…" Chrom found himself unable to continue, his cheeks darkening as he thought of the most dramatic change to their relationship since they had become engaged.

"Exactly," Rei said, faintly blushing as well. She took a quick glance around them to make sure no one was standing too nearby and leaned closer to Chrom so she could lower her voice further. "I don't know about you, but my definition of 'relaxed and comfortable' changed to being in your arms."

Chrom nodded, too embarrassed to speak right away.

Rei turned away from Chrom and tried to will away the heat from her cheeks. "Anyway, we should get back to enjoying ourselves. The sun is going to set soon, so we should find a good spot to watch the fireworks display they're setting up tonight."

A sudden impulse seized Chrom as he saw Rei walking away from him, and he grabbed her by the wrist before she could get too far. "Rei, wait!"

Rei gasped, alarmed as she was suddenly pulled towards Chrom. She stopped herself just before she could shout his name out of instinct, as she noticed a couple people looking their way.

Chrom leaned in closer to Rei, his warm breath brushing against her skin as he spoke lowly into her ear. "Let's go to a hotel."

Rei felt heat explode from her cheeks and travel down through the rest of her body. "Wh-what? But, but we–"

"It's the only way we'll be able to relax," Chrom whispered, his voice a faintly rough mixture of determination and anxiousness that sent pleasant shivers through Rei. "You said so yourself – if we want to be able to enjoy our time together to its fullest, we need privacy, and the hotel is the only place we'll find it."

Rei tried not to look around them, lest her nervous behavior and their closeness cause more people to focus on them than the dancing dogs. "Y-yes, I did say that," she whispered, "but I also explained why it _won't_ work. If we get caught…" She inclined her chin significantly towards the people standing not far from them, a few of whom were still looking in their direction.

Chrom smiled despite Rei's worries, growing more convinced that this was the right decision by the moment. "We'll just have to make sure we don't get caught, now won't we? We've done pretty good keeping things a secret so far."

Rei sighed as she closed her eyes. She suspected that there was no talking Chrom out of this course of action, or herself for that matter. Although she did not want to admit it, she had been giving the idea of going to a hotel far more thought than she should have, and a few strategies were already half formed inside her mind.

Still, a small voice kept whispering its misgivings to Rei, informing her of the potential consequences should her tactics fail them. "Tell that to Lissa, Tharja, and Maribelle."


End file.
